1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an apparatus and a method for securing a vane, such as an archery vane or a crossbow vane, to a shaft, such as an arrow shaft or a crossbow shaft. This invention also relates to an apparatus and a method for displaying an image, such as on a fletching system.
2. Discussion of Related Art
Known production methods for securing or attaching an archery vane to an arrow shaft can be time-consuming and expensive. When an archery vane is detached from an arrow shaft, it is difficult for an archer to repair or replace one or more archery vanes, particularly when each vane is precisely positioned with respect to each other or with respect to a longitudinal axis of the arrow shaft.
In order to maintain arrow dynamic flight characteristics of an archery arrow, it is important to maintain the precise position of the archery vane with respect to the arrow shaft. Thus, fletching systems or cartridges have been developed to simplify assembly in both the field and in the manufacturing facility.
For example, Czemske et al., U.S. Pat. No. 7,074,143 discloses a fletching system that has a sleeve which can be positioned about an outer surface of an arrow shaft, wherein at least one archery vane is mounted to an outer surface of the sleeve. The sleeve can have shrink-fit characteristics that allow the sleeve to shrink, for example when heat is applied to the sleeve. The sleeve can also be adhesively secured to the arrow shaft.
One problem with some heat shrinkable materials is that they have a relatively low coefficient of friction. For aerodynamic reasons, many arrow shafts have an outer surface with a relatively low coefficient of friction. Even if the heat shrinkable material is tightly shrunk about an outer surface of the arrow shaft, because the sleeve and the shaft each has a relatively low coefficient of friction, the sleeve can still move relative to the arrow shaft when a force is applied. For example, an archer will often grasp and pull the fletching when removing an arrow from a target. Often, the pulling force will cause the vane assembly or sleeve to pull away from the arrow shaft, leaving the arrow shaft and the arrowhead in the target and undesirably separating the sleeve and vanes from the arrow shaft.
In attempts to overcome this problem, it is known to apply an adhesive or a glue between an inner surface of the sleeve and an outer surface of the arrow shaft. However, many glues are unable to withstand the forces applied when an archer removes an arrow shaft from a target. Even with an adhesive or glue, the fletching system undesirably separates from the arrow shaft.
It is known to apply an image to an exterior surface of an arrow or an arrow component. However, the applied image is normally exposed at the exterior surface and thus experiences frictional wear, such as when the arrow is used, during flight and/or during target penetration. Thus, there is a need for an apparatus and a method for applying an image, particularly one that reduces or eliminates frictional wear on or to the image.